Nouvelle
by Zancrow
Summary: After Akira Hayama makes a serious attempt at dethroning Erina Nakiri from her seat in the Elite Ten; Tootsuki's ice-queen finds herself forced to accept the help of none other than Soma Yukihara. "Hey, Nakiri. Is that tongue of yours really that good?" Soma/Erina, Ryou/Alice, Akira/Jun
1. To The Victor Go The Spoils

**Nouvelle**

**Rating: **T

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina, Ryou/Alice, etc… etc…

**Genre: **Romance, Comedy, FanFictionesque Romantic Drama

**Disclaimer: **"Shokugeki no Soma" is not owned by me or am I anyway endorsed to or by it. This story, its characters, settings or the like is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or people is completely coincidental. Except for Francine Fonsworth. Hope you get chronic diarrhea.

**Notes: **I've come up with this story based on how I would go from the Autumn Festival in terms of what I would like to see happen. Since I do not own the story, I'll make do with fanfiction! This story will take liberties with the cast and story and its canon. The Autumn Election will have concluded; which may or may not end differently than how it'll end in the actual story, and characters will react accordingly. Also, all names will be in western order and I'll probably limit the use of Japanese terms considerably. Just FWI…

* * *

"Soma Yukihara…"

The dramatic pause was deliberate, everyone could tell. The old man didn't show it much, but he was rather eccentric and always tried to put on a show. Well, not overly at least. The sudden stripping as a sign of approval was a personality trait which went against every other of his describable trait anyway.

But if there was one thing Senzaemon Nakiri took deadly serious, above all else, was the healthy spirit of competition. So as the now shirtless man stood before the audience of the Autumn Festival, silence filled the stadium. Only the soft grizzle of the left over oils still burning slightly was heard as both Soma Yukihara and Akira Hayama awaited their results. Soma's expression was deadpan; while Akira's was calm. The rest of the student body were still trying to regain their composure after having witnessed what could be deemed the closest and biggest Shokugeki ever between two first-years. Even the loud Polar Star Dorm members were quiet, with their "Go Yukihara Go!" posters and flags facing the floor as everyone awaited the final verdict.

"…Ever since your speech when you first came here, you have never ceased to amaze and, admittedly, amuse us all. Today, you proved your worth as an alumni of Tootsuki and I sincerely hope you continue to polish those skills which have allowed you to get this far. A sentiment I share with you all," he turned to face the audience as he spoke, giving them all a soft smile. "It is only your first year; you all still have time to dedicate to being the best. Let this not give you the fear of losing but the courage to keep on fighting."

As the old man spoke, Erina Nakiri stood high up at the arena's VIP area, looking down upon the competition's arena as her grandfather carried on his speech; as she could see both Soma and Akira visibly stiffen more and more the longer it took the old man to just say who won. Hisako Arato, ever the faithful secretary and assistant, stood alongside her Lady. After pondering a bit about the ever present silence, she slowly turned to her. "I'd never though that Yukihara boy could give Akira Hayama such a fight, I think he's the new favorite to win. Underdog overcoming the genius sort of thing…"

"Grandfather seems to have taken a liking to him," Erina preferred not to mention him by name, as rolling the words "Soma" or "Yukihara" on her tongue left a disgusting aftertaste which she rather not keep on receiving. And it was true, to some extent. Her grandfather had been the one to allow that third-rate chef to stay at Tootsuki, over her allegations, and had even applauded him for beating Alice. Even if Erina knew her overly spoiled cousin deserved it, she would have much preferred anyone else besting her instead of the Yukihara boy.

"Not just your grandfather, most of the crowd. Over there he seems to have a parade," Hisako spoke as she pointed to the Polar Stars.

"Some people get over excited."

"The judges just fought over these results. That doesn't normally happen," said Hisako as she turned towards Erina, adding, "Does it?"

"Sometimes."

"A fist fight? The judge with glasses just lost a tooth."

"I've seen worse," then Erina stopped. "Hisako, look. Grandfather going to name the winner. This'll be good."

"Huh?" before Hisako could ask any further, she heard the change in tone Senzaemon made from a proud teacher to a strict examiner. Everyone in the room froze.

"…So, Soma Yukihara. I congratulate you," Senzaemon smiled widely as he spoke while turning to face the young man again. Soma could feel, despite himself, a sense of nervousness run down his spine. "You are a truly gifted individual and this year's Autumn Election Runner-up-"

His mind went blank.

Soma couldn't even continue to focus on what Senzaemon was saying, hearing only a few words and phrases like "even if", "second", "surely", "next time", "proud" and being unable to register any of them. He forced himself not to look down, not to let his eyes face anything else but the man himself. The man who was telling him he did not deserve the title of champion.

The man who was currently giving said title to Akira Hayama.

Soma Yukihara could only clench his fist and force a smile. He could hear the audience murmuring, and while he couldn't tell what they were saying, it wasn't too hard to guess. Loud mouth transfer student beaten by the elite foreign student. What was worse, the match had been a Shokugeki, which meant he owed Akira Hayama now.

Soma Yukihara thought this was unbearable.

Erina Nakiri thought this was delicious.

-0-

After Akira was "crowned" the champion of the Autumn Festival, Soma approached him before the former could leave the stage. As the audience had begun to get on their feet, their attention was planted solely back on the stage; many a chefs-in-training believing Soma was going to clock Akira or something for the loss.

"Something on your mind, Yukihara?" Akira mentioned, turning towards Soma. Soma had no intention of hitting him, as per the louder whispers of the audience he could now understand foretold, but the thought was not entirely unpleasant. Regardless, Soma just narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.

"Two things really. First," he said, as extended his hand towards Akira. "It was a good match, congratulations on the victory."

Akira shook his hand, smiling in turn. "I had thought you a less graceful loser; it is refreshing to see otherwise."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I am severely pissed off, your attitude isn't helping and I would be willing to do as these guys think and wait for you outside with a baseball bat and sandpaper," the audience took a three second silence at that comment, while Soma only turned his serious expression back to a smile. "But, as a chef I can't ignore the fact that your dish was fabulous. Truly an impressive piece of work."

"Yours was as well."

When Soma noticed that that was all Akira was going to say on the matter, since he had thought maybe his opponent would be a bit more expressive, Soma opted to just continue to the second thing he wanted to say. "…And two, what do you want me to do?"

"About?" Akira asked, while seemingly curious Soma could see a small smile on his lips. It infuriated him further.

"About…," he mimicked Akira; much to the latter's amusement. "…the Shokugeki. You said that I had to, and I quote: "work on your next Shokugeki as an assistant chef and lackey"."

"I never said "lackey"."

"Open to interpretation. But, really, what do you want me to do?"

Senzaemon stared on the two boys stared each other on, heavily intent on hearing what Akira was going to ask for. While his term of victory on the Shokugeki was acceptable, it was vague enough for Akira to use to his advantage. One which Senzaemon was going to make sure followed every standard Tootsuki has.

"For now? Nothing really," Soma's eyes widened as Akira said those words, feeling even more annoyed. Before he could voice his annoyance, however, Akira continued. "What I asked for was clear. On my next Shokugeki, you'll be an assistant. Until then, you needn't do anything. Whenever I'll take on my next opponent, you'll be informed."

"So I'm "on-call"."

"If you prefer to see it that way."

Senzaemon just smiled. These two boys were so interesting; and they were going to continue being interesting even after the competition was long over. Such is the life of a chef, a constant battleground. It remained to be seen if they both could overcome the adversity their results now made them face.

If Soma could overcome a defeat on such a large stage having had victory so close to him.

And if Akira could overcome the pride of victory which could become his downfall.

This would be so interesting.

-0-

"Are you sure about this? I mean, I know he deserves it, but…," Hisako stammered a bit at the end, unsure of how or what to say. Erina, however, didn't mind. She could not let this moment pass.

"That commoner just lost. I want to see his face and rub it in so much he cries and leaves Tootsuki for good. I want him never to grasp even a spoon for as long as he lives," Erina spoke with bright, bright smiles; which made Hisako a bit worried. A little too much, not that she'd say so. "I can't wait; he should be around here, right?"

Before Hisako could answer, both girls heard Soma's voice, which caused Erina to lighten up even more. "Quick, he sounds angry. I bet he's hitting himself against the wall. Hurry!"

Hisako had not seen Erina this happy in a long time, and it caused her some concern towards her friend. She loved seeing Erina happy, that much was a given, but considering the cause, maybe it was a little too much. Still, she wouldn't say a word; so she was forced to simply follow Erina towards a rough sounding Yukihara.

Upon reaching him on one of the many halls of the stadium, both Erina and Hisako were greeted by the sight of not only Yukihara, but the Aldini twins as well. The only one amongst the three to even notice the blonde and autumn-haired girls was Isami, who gave them both a soft smile. One which only Hisako, if only out of common courtesy, returned.

"For the last time, just take it. I don't even know how to use it," Soma expressed, which Erina's unasked question about what he was referring to was answered the moment he motioned his hand towards Takumi, sporting a mezzaluna in hand. "Just take it back."

"For the last time Yukihara, I will not. I will win it from you when we have our rematch," Takumi crossed his arms and scoffed, and Yukihara seemed to want to slash him with the curved two-handed knife.

"Why won't you simply take it? I still have thirty-two other utensils I have to give back to their proper owners, some of which aren't even here anymore. All the others took theirs without complain."

"If they feel fine doing so, I don't mind, but to me it's different," he turned his head the other way, staring to the entrance towards the arena. "Before my rematch with you comes my rematch with Mimasaka. I can't accept losing to him after you beat him."

"Don't be such a stubborn loser," Yukihara decided to ignore the irony. "Chances are Mimasaka's dirty tricks would have given me trouble if your match against him hadn't made me witness them first hand."

"Still, I refuse. I'll get mezzaluna back, myself. And I'll crush you with it afterwards."

"Brother, how will you crush him with it if you have to beat him to get it back?" as Isami asked, Soma could see Takumi turn bright red. Ever the quick to fluster, Takumi just soft spoke something unintelligible to Isami which the younger twin somehow understood and nodded to. Erina took this as a cue to interrupt.

"If I may, that was some conclusion to the main event," at this both Soma and Takumi turned towards Erina and Hisako, the former with a sly smile on her features and the latter with an apologetic one. "What counter do you have for this display?"

"Nakiri, were you just eavesdropping on us?"

"Wha-? What does…? I've been standing here the whole time, neither of you even noticed-but that's not the point. Yukihara, you lost."

"That I did."

"…Which means," not the reaction she was expecting. No head banging or tears. Maybe she had to get through his façade first. "…You couldn't keep up your intention on being the best."

"That's not true."

Bingo. Denial. First step of grievance. She had to milk it.

"No use in denying it. You lost, on the grand stage. So much from learning from your failures," it was the phrase he had uttered during the banquette at the hotel. Those words might have given someone like Alice some doubt, but not her. In the world of cooking, there are only two options. Either you succeed, or you fail.

"You call second place a failure, man, it is really hard to understand you sometimes Nakiri," she hated when he called her so nonchalantly. Like if they were on friendly terms or something. Before she could voice it, he continued. "I wanted the gold, but the silver is nice anyways. I won't lie, it is disappointing, but maybe it would have been too boring to win on my first try."

"You're making no sense."

"Well, Goku didn't win his first tournament, right?"

"That was against his mas-just what are you talking about? You really are in denial!"

"Did you seriously come her to rub salt in my wounds or is this your way of encouraging me to push myself even further. It's hard to tell with you and your mixed messages."

"Mixed messages? I'm being clear. The last thing I'd do is encourage a commoner like you any further than you've done so yourself."

Hisako and Isami shared a glance before they both decided it was best not to say a word. Takumi, on the other hand, watched nervously as Yukihara swung the mezzaluna around as he spoke to Nakiri; hoping his decision to leave his prized artifact in the hands of his rival until he could earn it back was a good idea. By the time the three got back to listening to the conversation between the two; they had somehow gotten way of topic.

"-the one who lost his tooth, that one," Soma extended his index finger as he mentioned "one", while everyone outside of Erina was confused about why or how the argument had shifted towards that poor sap.

"Oh. I still don't see the resemblance to… I refuse to continue this conversation," with that said, Erina stopped. "Yukihara," damn, why must his name keep slipping out of her tongue? "Just accept your loss. Stop trying to mask it. Second-best is still third-rate."

Erina didn't notice it, but Hisako eyes were down casted. The Aldini boys felt a similar pang, but Takumi quickly interrupted. "Not that it's my business, but that's not really the point of the festival."

"Oh?"

"He's right Nakiri," Soma added, his change in tone surprised her. He sounded serious. Mad even. Did she finally hit a nerve? Her smile grew a bit before he continued. "No one who lost the festival is third-rate. Heck, being chosen is an accomplishment in its own way. We may not be the best yet, but if you think your untouchable because you're in your chair, you best watch out, since I didn't see you there competing."

"I'm above you all, what part of that don't you understand."

"And we'll catch up to you, hope you understand. All these "third-rates" here: Takumi, Isami, Hishoko and yours truly; will reach you."

"Her name's not…" she stopped, before turning to Hisako. At that moment Hisako smiled back at Erina, awaiting an instruction or something, but Erina saw it. "W-Wait, Hisako. I didn't mean you-I…"

Both Soma and Takumi stared, both arms crossed and serious; as Erina felt her ears redden due to being put in this position. She turned, scoffed, and spoke: "Don't go changing my meanings; you know what I meant. Hisako, come on, let's go."

As Hisako followed a retreading Erina, she was quick to speak: "Don't let him bother you. I understood what you meant."

"You're a good chef Hisako. You have pedigree, unlike some people. You'll never be third-rate," Erina added, but she didn't look at Hisako. She instead gave her a soft smile. "Come; let me make us something good."

Hisako's feelings of sadness were quickly replaced by mouth-watering thoughts of just what Erina could possibly make.

As the ice queen left, Soma and the Aldini brothers were left there for a few minutes without saying anything. Isami thought he had to try and break the silence, but the two "rivals" managed to get a few words out. Five, at that.

"Take it."

"I said no."

-0-

"Hey, Hayama," said a young man who was walking a few steps from the dark-skinned champion. Akira had felt his presence a few moments ago, but had thought not much of it. He didn't think he had any more to say to him. Or her, for that matter; as he saw he was being accompanied by his "owner".

"Kurokiba. Need anything," spoke Akira softly; turning to face the duo. While Ryou Kurokiba's facial features didn't demonstrate much, Akira could tell he wasn't in an overly good mood. His friend (lover?) and apparent "owner" was a different story altogether. Erina's cousin Alice was the polar opposite of her ice queen family member; and outside of the tantrum she threw upon losing to Yukihara, she never seemed upset or sad.

"You damn well know what I "need". The hell you playing at here?" Ryou, despite his language, seemed mostly calm. Akira merely stared as he awaited a more proper question. Sensing this, Ryou continued. "When we competed you gave me the same condition for our Shokugeki. That I'd also be an assistant. You plan to make everyone here serve you or something? First me, now Yukihara?"

"Oh, that," Akira spoke softly. If he were to be a little more mean spirited, he could grow to enjoy this. Could. "Don't misinterpret my conditions. Yukihara's deal is a little bit different than yours is. One word different to be exact."

"The hell?"

"You'll see soon enough. You see, I-"

"You're going towards grandfather, right?" It was Alice who spoke up, apparently having grown tired of merely listening. That girl didn't like to stay quiet for too long anyways. "Well look at you. Already the victor of the festival and know you're going to the head honcho himself. Are you going to challenge him or something?"

"Don't be absurd Alice, as if-" Ryou's statement was interrupted by Akira's own confirmation to her statement. "You could put it like that, in a way…"

"What?"

"Oh, first you steal my assistant and now you want my grandfather. You're a little too greedy, eh Hayama?" Alice showed no other emotion other than amusement as she spoke, which caused Ryou to merely sign in response. Akira attempted to end the conversation there but ever-the-not-quiet Alice continued. "Now that I think about it like that, I should be mad, shouldn't I? Erina still has her Hishoko with her while I'm stuck sharing Ryou with you. Seriously," she turned to face Ryou. "You're a bit of a slut, huh?"

"Just what in the world are-?" he got cut off.

"It all happened so fast, you guys just fight and decide all this… I mean," she stopped as she began to murmur. She imagined their fight,_ instead of an arena, the two where outside, Akira and Ryou, as the sun had begun to set and the cherry blossoms swirled around them in a synchronized pattern and lovely pattern. Both boys faced each other intently, as Akira spoke in a calm yet powerful voice._

"_I won, Ryou. You know what this means," he spoke as his eyes filled with desire, as Ryou felt his face begin to flush but her refused to show it. Not now, not here. Not to him!_

"_I could never. You know I belong to Alice, I could never betray her for you," his voice didn't sound as serious as he had hoped it would. He was faltering; but, did Akira notice. He could never read this man's intentions._

"_You can, and you will," his intentions were clear, unwavering. Ryou felt a chill like no other caress his spine. He was going to be taken in by Akira, whether he wanted to or not. "B-but," he tried to protest, damn his nervousness. His body was betraying him. But he had to fight; he had to argue against it. He could not let his Lady down. "Milady Alice would never-"_

"_No longer must you mention her, Ryou," as Akira spoke he grabbed Ryou by the chin, and as Ryou tried to protest, he felt Akira's hand being firmly planted against his buttocks; locking him in. This man was a monster. Beautiful monster. With a smile in his lips, Akira continued: "From this moment on. You. Are. Mine."_

_The he got closer. "All. Mine."_

_Ryou's eyes widen, as Akira got even closer. The latter's lips were moist, mere inches away from Ryou's own virgin lips. In that instant, Akira closed the gap between them, and…_

"Oh my…"

Neither Akira nor Ryou had any idea why Alice, against Akira's earlier observations of her, had actually stopped talking midsentence and had remained silent for over a minute outside from that "oh my" that had escaped her ever reddening face. Akira had a theory which was constantly being proven by all of these "classmates" of his; the student-body of this Academy were all utterly insane.

"Is she going to be alright," it was more curiosity than concern that caused Akira to ask; if only to end the awkward silence.

"I don't want to know."

"Well… If you'll excuse me, I have to speak to the Headmaster. Whenever it is that I need your services, Kurokiba, you'll be the first to know," with those words spoke, Akira turned and left; leaving Ryou next to a daydreaming Alice.

"Just what is going inside that head of yours?"

"Shh, silence. It's getting to the good part. Yes, show him who the man is."

Ryou Kurokiba was in many ways considered to be fearless and ultra-violent, something which would always be represented in the dishes he made. Today, however, he decided that whatever it was Alice was imagining, he was better off not knowing. Pandora's Box is better left closed.

-0-

Soma Yukihara was not a graceful loser. Sure, he could fake a smile, a laugh, maybe even a conversation; but when it came really down to it, he absolutely hated losing. He was sure many people did, but to him, losing was a blow not just to him, but to "Yukihara's" as well. His family restaurant suffered because he wasn't the best. And it wasn't the first time he had lost.

Barely passing the 200 meals.

Losing against Koujirou who used a meal that wasn't even his specialty.

And now this. The match had been close, very close. But against everything he stood for, he couldn't help but agree with Erina a little bit.

"_Second place is third-rate."_

While he didn't agree with that sentiment, he could understand where she was coming from. Second place was good, but it still wasn't the first place. You weren't the best, you weren't the strongest. Had he fought Akira in the first round, he would have probably lost there and would have been, what, tied at fifth alongside three others? All he was now was simply Akira's last victory, another win for his ever expanding resume.

"Damn!" he shouted against his pillow, let he allow all of Polar Star Dorm residents hear the tantrum he was now going to privately throw. Did they think Alice was loud? They didn't want to hear him. "I can't believe I lost," the sound was only barely muffled by the pillow hard pressed to his face. He hadn't even bothered to change his clothes; and the smell and scent of Akira's dish still lingered on. It was as if it were constantly slapping him. "Ahhh! How am I going to tell my old man this? If I didn't win this thing, how am I going to reach the top? How am I going to get Nakiri to like what I give her! I'll be a has been, a third-rate chef who can only cook things that come with detailed instructions. "Boil water", "let it drain", "add cheese"… "Stir!"… Damn!"

His wallow in self-pity was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, causing Soma to bolt to his feet and let out a overly-enthusiastic "who's there" which he made a mental note to tone a bit down. The response quickly came after a four second pause. "Soma, i-it's me, Megumi."

"Oh! Tadokoro! Come on it, I was just, erm, resting my eyes," Soma planted the biggest smile he could as he let Megumi into his room, which went not unnoticed by the gentle girl as she seemed to have a look of concern. Well, more concern than what was usual. "What you need Tadokoro?"

"Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine. The match was close; I got to make Akira sweat, so that's something. Takumi still doesn't want his mezzaluna back, so I'm thinking about taking classes in fencing to give it some use until he decides to beat me for it. Oh, and I spoke to Nakiri about my loss and she called me third-rate and something and the other, so… I'm fine," his words came out so fast and consecutive Megumi had a little trouble following it all. But she heard enough. She knew him enough.

"You're not third-rate Soma, far from it. Don't let her get to you."

"I never said she-"

"Shh, don't interrupt," she pressed her index finger against her own lips, playfully. Soma decided to ignore the fact that she had just interrupted him; allowing the black haired girl to continue: "As I was saying, Soma has taught me so much. It's thanks to you I made it this far. I mean, out of all the alumni here in their first year, I'm like, what, eighth or ninth in ranking. That's got to count for something. Because if you're third-rate, what rate am I?"

Soma just smiled at that. He knew she was trying to cheer him up, and the funny thing was, she was managing to do so. Defeat was defeat, that was a given. But at that, you could still learn from it. He has lost so many times against his old man; and back at home there were times he couldn't keep up with all of the costumers' demands.

"You're something else Tadokoro," his smile was still ever present; causing Megumi to avert her eyes a bit; trying to avoid blushing too much. "You're right. I'm not third-rate, I mean, I almost won… So at worst, I'm second-rate."

She laughed. "That still doesn't sound too reassuring, Soma."

"Maybe not, but it's a start. Anyway, how are you holding up Tadokoro? The festival is over, any news on what's to come now. Sending us to an island to live on our own for a month or something like that?"

"Actually that assignment is given on your second year."

Both Soma and Megumi turned to face Satoshi Isshiki, who was all smiles posing ever so gallantly at the doorway; dressed in a rather fine set of semi-casual clothing. "Come now you two, shouldn't you be preparing yourselves for the festival's closing ceremony?"

"Closing?" asked Soma.

"Ceremony?" finished Megumi.

"Yep! You didn't expect such a big event to end on such a low-key manner, no offense to your match Soma, but I'm referring to simply calling someone champion and nothing else," as Satoshi spoke, both Soma and Megumi decided not to tell him that they had in fact considered the festival to be long over. "What does indeed come next," Satoshi continued, "is the grand closing ceremony that all participants and student-audience get to partake in. I could describe it, but in an hour or so, you'll be seeing it, so… Soma, take a bath, you smell like you fell into Akira's pot. Tadokoro, we need to get you prettied up, as one of the top eight, you'll be one of the ceremony's biggest attractions."

"Wha-?"

Before she could voice any complains, Satoshi grabbed her and carried her away, leaving Soma alone in his room once again. Dumbfounded. Still, he took a sniff at his clothes and decided a bath would be a good idea.

-0-

"Here we are!"

As Satoshi gave the crew an overly enthusiastic welcome to the ceremony's gathering area; which was wide enough to hold every first year at Tootsuki and then some; especially given since it was being celebrated outside. Only the scaffold with a few fancy seats and a microphone could be spotted amongst the many, many people walking around in fancy suits and expensive dresses.

The Polar Stars were not to be left out. Soma had been, rather forced, to dress in a fancy suit for the event, coupled with a yellowish tie that was said "to bring out his eyes" more. Whatever that meant. Satoshi merely picked one of his many suits for the occasion, stating that this event was more for them than for him, but that didn't stop many of the girls (and a few guys) from stealing glances at his direction.

The other members where equally pimped out. Shun Ibusaki was currently wearing what appeared to be a designer colored suit with a matching tie; while Zenji Marui was dressed in an all-black suit, black tie, black shoes, probably black underwear.

As a few girls seemed to take notice of Shun once they entered the area, Yuuki Yoshino was quick to grab him by the arm and keep him close. As he protested, she merely smiled and told him that she could get lost amongst that many people. Yuuki herself was wearing a rather short dress, which covered none of her back, and was colored in a light-blue cerulean tint which matched her ever shining eyes.

Another eye-matching dress belonged to Megumi. A mixture of yellow and cream which Satoshi had hand-picked for her, at her request of not putting on anything too revealing. A small equally colored hand purse completed the outfit, stuffed with only a piece of gum and some paper since she had nothing else to put on it.

Lastly was Ryoko Sakaki, who no one in the area had any idea how she was dressed. All anyone knew, male or female, was that it displayed a lot of her ample cleavage. That would be the best description anyone could hope to make.

"Alright, enough waiting," Satoshi motioned towards them. "Go on, enjoy yourselves."

"Hey! Why didn't we get descriptions?" the two other guy's that made up Polar Star Dorms where all but ignored by the rest aside from a confused looking Megumi; as everyone moved in towards different parts of the ceremony grounds.

Soma decided it would be a good time to try the free foods, maybe get a few new ideas on how to improve his dishes. However, as luck would have it, the first time he tried to grab one of the karaage on a stick that were being handed out, another hand took it. Said hand belonged to Erina Nakiri.

"If it's kept out in the open, it'll get swarmed by bugs. Keep it inside and serve it upon order. Got it?" she was ordering the boy and girl in charged to cooking; both of which, rather annoyed, nodded towards the ice queen. Soma smiled.

"Even at ceremonies you're still a party-pooper, I see."

Erina didn't even bother to turn to him. "Go bother someone else; I've talked to you enough to last till November."

"So now you have quotas? Cool," Soma took one of the other karaage from the duo, who gave him a quick thank you. "Besides, karaage is a meal you eat out in the open. It's ruined if you keep it under wraps or have to wait too much for it."

"Spare me your views, Yukihara," damn, she said his name again. "Karaage is still food, regardless of how simple it is, so if it is to be served at Tootsuki, it must meet our standards, if not-" she never finished, as Soma stuffed the karaage he was holding into her mouth without warning. At this he saw the cooking duo turn ghostly pale and put up a "closed" sign on the table. Over-exaggeration much?

"The hell!?" Erina blasted out as she chewed and swallowed. A lady such as herself could not spit something out; but she almost reflectively did. "Do you want to get thrown out by sexual assault?"

"How in the world is that sexual? And I just made you tried it," he spoke while smiling, waving the karaage around. "You can't just judge something without trying it, and karaage is at its best like this."

"I swear I'll…" she dropped it; she will not give him the right to argue against her. And she refused to admit that the karaage had been pretty good, but still not up to her standards at all. But she knew if she voiced that, he'd just reply that she was basing her accusations against her standards and not Tootsuki. Which was true. Had they not been up to Tootsuki's standards, they would not have been allowed to set up their table here anyway.

"You're going to get wrinkles ahead of time if you keep that sour face all the time," as he spoke, mocking her at that, she was going to counter when she saw that he nonchalantly placed the remaining karaage into his mouth and ate it. After he had placed it on hers. He was eating her saliva!

"What are you doing?"

"Eating."

"Don't play stupid, I mean-"

This time the interruption came from Erina being hugged from behind. All fifteen curse words she was automatically going to say were stopped when she caught a glimpse of a very whitish blonde hair. "Hey Erina, having some alone time with Soma here?"

"Ah, Nakiri #2, what's up?"

"How rude, we haven't seen each other since our match and you still can't be bothered to learn my name. Remember, Alice. Alice. Like the story," her voice was still teasing, as she refused to let Erina go despite the latter's protests. "Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you on your near victory, as I'm sure my lovely Erina here already did."

"Sure…" Both Soma and Erina said in unison. Alice merely continued.

"Besides that, I'm glad Erina here is finally putting that figure to good use," as she spoke she clasped her hands against Erina's waist, causing the elder cousin to push herself from Alice's grasp. "Enough Alice. What do you want?"

"Nothing, just admiring your dress is all. Did you compliment her Soma?"

"On what, getting dressed?"

"You're a real Casanova, you know," as Soma pondered what she meant Alice turned to Erina. "But really, look at you. Seems you're not too much unaware of what you got that dress really does bring attention to that lovely bosom you have."

"Shut it Alice, but I'm surprised; you're covering more than usual."

"You're being rude too. I'm no slut, you know. Besides, I'm with Ryou so I can't give him the wrong idea," at that comment it was when both Erina and Soma noticed Ryou standing a few feet from them; wearing a matching navy blue suit to match Alice's own. A direct contrast to Erina's golden sleeveless dress and white gloved hands and arms. Had she not had the reputation she did, she would have been the most requested girl at the event, or at least at odds with Ryoko Sakaki and Ikumi Mito.

"Oh, Kurokiba. Didn't see you there," Soma spoke to the quiet guy in the background, who at hearing his surname turned to face Soma.

"I'm good at blending in," he approached the group as he spoke, followed by saying: "Furthermore, there's something I should mention to you Yukihara. Ak-"

"Don't spoil it. Let me," Alice interrupted him by banging the back of her head against his face. For all his manliness Ryou was left holding his nose in pain as Alice cheerfully carried on what he had tried to say. "Akira Hayama was talking to grandpa a little while back, seems he was itching for a challenge."

"You can challenge the old man, cool."

"You cannot Yukihara," Erina objected, turning to Alice. "As far as candidates go, Hayama is impressive, but he has to be suicidal to challenge grandfather. You probably heard a few details wrong."

"No, no. I asked him myself. He said it was something like that."

"That's not a confirmation."

Before Alice could continue to try and convince her cousin on what Akira had said, the boy in question had made his way to the center of the scaffold, accompanied by most of the Tootsuki personnel. Amongst which was Jun Shiomi, who was apparently trying to pull Akira back but he just gave her a pat on the head and resumed his position.

The moment when Senzaemon Nakiri cleared his throat all of the party came to a halt.

"I know this is a night of celebration, so you won't want to hear this old geezer talk too much, but at least allow me two announcements," as he spoke, everyone's attention where shifting from Senzaemon to Akira and back. Murmurs began to spread about what could it be, from Akira being accepted into Tootsuki's workforce to their having been an error in the results and Akira was being removed from his championship. Only Alice's "see" and "I told you" spoke of something else entirely.

"First, I wish to congratulate Akira Hayama once again for his wonderful display at today's final round. Akira, you are an honor to Tootsuki," at this, the old man began to clap, and everyone else followed suit. Soma clapped five times, one for each judge that had given Akira the win, and not once more. Only Erina refused to clap.

"And secondly, I'll allow Akira Hayama to speak for himself. Akira, if you please."

As Akira took the microphone, everyone's attention was centered on him. Ryou visibly stiffened as his fist clenched, while Alice was almost about to remove Erina's shoulder from her torso if she kept tugging her any harder. Out of everyone's, only Soma and Erina's expression went unchanged.

"I'm not one for speeches, so I'll keep this short. First, I'd like to thank Jun for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity," as he spoke this, everyone turned to face the red-faced teacher who was at a loss for words. Akira grinned at her before turning to face the crowd. "And lastly, I'd like to publicly announce my next intentions here at Tootsuki. A recent transfer student once said that he'd like to use everyone here as stepping stones to reach the top."

The air went cold around the area, it being the only moment Erina turned from facing the scaffold and looking at Soma, whose expression betrayed his composed act ever so slightly. What she couldn't see, however, was how his nails were digging into the inside of his palm for every word Akira spoke.

'_Just what are you after?' _Soma thought, his stare capable of burning through Akira's skull if such a thing were possible. Akira was a calm and collected individual; he would have no gain from edging people on like this without some motive.

"Today, I share his sentiment," Akira continued, to a collective low-key gasp from the audience. "However, instead of all of you," he continued, as his sight shifted upon a sole individual. "My stepping stone shall be one at a time; starting with the biggest one present here. Erina Nakiri…"

This time Soma turned to face Erina, as she in turn turned to meet Akira's stare directly.

"I hereby challenge you to a Shokugeki, with your position as the Elite's Tenth Seat as the prize."

Everyone froze, turning their attention from Akira towards Erina, nearly snapping their necks at how quickly they turned to face her. Ryou was silent, staring. Alice gave a soft "that's what he meant" comment, while Soma uttered a single "Nakiri?" in response to a girl who seemed not to have heard what Akira had just publicly issued.

But soon a wide smile presented itself on Erina's features.

"My, my," Erina's tone seemed to mirror Alice's own, but ever more so serious and cold. "What big arrogance we just got…"

* * *

The Author Rants About:

Liberties

And by that, I mean I'm taking a few. Granted to make fanfiction you probably need to take some anyway, since at best you can just try to keep everyone as close to as in character as you can while guessing how they would react to your story and events. This goes double for shipping, since characters that aren't an item in the story have to fall in love and act accordingly, not helped by many a manga's slow romantic build up if they have it at all.

However, half the fun is coming up with these reactions and playing along with them. I'll try to keep everyone in character as much as I can, but do note that from this point on everything will be changed from canon; since as of this writing we don't know how the Festival will end.


	2. Best Served Cold

**Nouvelle**

**Rating: **T

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina, Ryou/Alice, Akira/Jun

**Genre: **Romance, Comedy, FanFictionesque Romantic Drama

**Notes:** Thank you all for the positive response. Considering I can't seem to get this story out of my head until it's all on fictional-computer-paper; I might as well give you Chapter Number 2 of our story. Do note that further changes from canon will be taken, since this basically derails from canon at around chapter 81. Chapters 82 & 83 could have happen in broader strokes, but as of this writing the newest chapter is #84 and I don't want to ruin my story by trying to make it fit into the canon continuity. The good news is that Soma and Erina are interacting. Also, check out my newest section below (way below) where I thank/answer my reviewers!

-0-

"Erina Nakiri."

Everyone's attention was shifted towards Tootsuki's resident ice queen as Akira dropped the bomb he had been preparing since his victory against Soma. "I hereby challenge you to a Shokugeki, with your position as the Elite's Tenth Seat as the prize."

As mixture of realization and horror dawned onto everyone, the sole exception being Alice who finally understood what Akira had been aiming at. Despite this, the calm look that Erina had on her face did not betray one bit of the relaxed aura she was giving. In fact, she was smiling.

"My, my. What big arrogance we just got…" she spoke in the most seductive voice Alice had ever heard her utter. As her eyes narrowed, Erina crossed her arms across her ample chest, dignified. Only her eyes were darting upwards, since even if Akira was standing above her, she would not give him the privilege of being looked up by her. "…out of one minor victory. Getting congratulated on a stage," she continued, her voice dripping with something that caused Soma to involuntary stiffen. "…and you already think you have what it takes to dethrone me?"

"Is that an acceptance?" the eagerness in Akira's voice was for the first time prominent, if only ever so slightly. Erina chuckled.

"Almost. State your terms. What do I get out of this?"

"I can give you whatever you like," the squeal from fangirls that sentence caused was augmented by the fact that everyone was quiet. Motivated even further by Erina's "is that so?" response.

"Ryou! Ryou! Do you know what this means?" Alice shook him vigorously as she spoke, which caused her assistant to merely nod his head in response. Who didn't know what this meant. "I mean, really," Alice continued. "Akira's going to cheat on you."

As Soma could sworn he heard Kurokiba mouth something unintelligible, he turned towards the glowing (no doubt thanks to her dress) Erina Nakiri and spoke: "Hey, seems like you won't be too bored after all. Since Hayama here wants to challenge you to-Hey! Wait a minute. Hayama! Aren't I involved in this?"

"Wait, so am I," Ryou added.

"Oh my gosh. The exes found out!" both boys tried to ignore Alice's comment; even if Soma didn't really understand what she meant and Ryou refused to.

"That you are. I've already talked to the Director here and the faculty staff. Both you Soma Yukihara and you Ryou Kurokiba are going to participate in this as assistants," even before he had finished stating this, Erina's soft laughter could be heard. Akira turned his attention to her once again. "Something on you mind?"

"It's nothing much, just…" she stopped, taking a look to her left towards Soma, followed by another to her right towards Ryou before continuing. "You want to take me on with these two as backup? I'm sorry but, this won't save you."

"On the contrary Nakiri, I was clear during my last two bouts."

"Would you care to explain?"

"Certainly," he moved a little bit towards their group, as all attention centered on Akira once again. "Kurokiba is to become my assistant, as I specifically stated that: "should you lose, Kurokiba, you are to work on my next Shokugeki as my assistant chef". Having seen his work first hand, I've got no doubt he can be of very good use."

"And me?" Soma asked, hands in pocket. "How useful am I to you?"

"You aren't listening Yukihara," Akira stated, closing his eyes for a brief moment before continuing. "With you, I stated, and I quote: "should you lose, Yukihara, you are to work on my next Shokugeki as _an_ assistant chef". I never once stated you'd be working _for_ me."

"Then…?" Nakiri started.

"…I'm?" Soma continued.

"With her," Akira concluded signaling towards Erina.

The silence broke as everyone shouted something different. Everyone thought of this in a different manner. From Takumi who had been the whole time looking for Soma, to Ikumi who had been late after finding out she lacked fancy clothes, to Hisako who had had to go to the bathroom and had had to deal with her new stalker Nao Sadatsuka attempting to enter her stall, to resident master of ceremonies Urara Kawashima who was getting irritated that she had not been asked to share such big news. Even the scattered members of Polar Star were dumbstruck, save for Satoshi who had a knowing if somewhat mischievous grin accompanying his features. After nearly a minute of whispers and whispers; Senzaemon thought it be best to end it all.

"Enough," his loud voice, even without the aid of the microphone, was enough to cause everyone to become quiet… save for a laughing Alice. Giving his younger granddaughter ten seconds to stop her laughing (she took thirteen), Senzaemon continued once her laughter subsided. "Akira Hayama has made his intentions clear, and as per norm, when challenging a member of the Elite Ten the Shokugeki that ensues is not like those most of you have participated in. It's a bit bigger, requires assistant chefs and several other preparations. Should you accept this Erina Nakiri, the process would begin."

"Wait, no. Absolutely not," Erina was quick to speak, causing Soma to look towards her.

"Why do I feel that that "not" is referring to me?" he asked half-heartedly, since he had begun to expect certain reactions from her, such as this.

"Because it is, now shut up," she spoke before she turned towards both her grandfather and Akira. "Now listen hear, both of you. I don't know what dumb idea crossed both your minds, but I will not allow myself to be compromised this way. You want to challenge me Hayama, fine, but don't go hiding behind Kurokiba and most certainly don't try to sabotage my work with an idiot like Yukihara."

"Hey! Stop throwing insults my way!"

"Furthermore," she continued, ignoring Soma. "Grandfather. I am ashamed."

Everyone gasped.

"My dear, your-"

"No! You listen. I don't care how much you think Yukihara is God knows what in your eyes, but he can't possibly even boil water in the way I would need it to be done."

"Seriously, I'm next to you. Everyone's looking at me like-"

"This is a clear intent to sabotage my cooking, in order for that so-called champion to have a fighting chance against me," she carried on, still ignoring him. "If I need an assistant, I have Hisako. If you wish to use Kurokiba or even Yukihara for God knows what reason, do as you wish, but you cannot force me to work with him," she shouted the last part at Akira, before turning to her grandfather. "Or you, for that matter."

"Grandpa just got burned."

"Alice, be serious," Ryou looked on, waiting. He knew Akira wasn't dumb enough to plan this if he didn't have some way to either convince or fool Erina into going along with it. But, was this really an attempt at sabotage?

"You misinterpret me yet again, Erina Nakiri," Akira spoke softly before coming down from the scaffold and onto the public, heading towards Erina. "If you haven't forgotten, I fought against and defeated all those you mentioned. Yukihara, Kurokiba and even Hisako. I know their level. I know their skill," he continued to speak through the wireless microphone, taking simple steps until he was mere feet away from Erina and the others. "With Hisako as your sole aide, you will lose to me."

"Getting a bit too cocky here…"

"Great," Hisako muttered, trying to reach Erina through the endless crowd of people. "Now they're dissing me!"

Before she got there however, Akira spoke up. "It is your choice, but I am offering you the best of the first years to aide you in our clash. I spoke with your grandfather and we came up with the idea. The theme will be a restaurant opening; an abridged full course meal of a random type. We will play head chefs with Tootsuki's VIPs as our guests and judges," Akira pointed towards Senzaemon, while adding: "While the theme will be chosen during the week, it was his approval that I'd give Yukihara to you that made this all possible."

"I cannot work with him."

"Is that a surrender?"

"It's a refusal. Come back with a fair challenge and I'll crush you like the pathetic trash you are," as she spoke she heard her grandfather clear his throat, which caused everyone to turn back to the elder man.

"Now, now, you two, take it easy. A chef cannot let himself or herself lose professionalism like this. Akira, despite all that I'm allowing, remember just who it is you're talking to and challenging. Do not confuse that before I am the Director here, I am a grandfather."

"My apologies," Akira gave a soft bow, without any hint of sarcasm. "I meant no offense."

"I never said you did, but just keep that in mind. And Erina," he continued while turning to her, receiving an annoyed "what?" in response. "The reason I allowed him to challenge you this way was not to obstruct you in anyway, but to present you with a real life challenge that I believe would truly benefit you in the long run."

"Sabotaging me?"

"By far. Soma Yukihara, whether you wish to admit it or not, is still the second best in terms of performance in this year's Autumn Festival. His skills and resourcefulness have impressed many of us here, and while admittedly he may be a bit of a goofball at times," he spoke the last part with a smile, causing Soma to smile back. "His skills in the kitchen are second-to-none. He would be a great asset to you."

"That's all charming grandfather, really, but I do not see it that way," Erina spoke, narrowing her eyes. "To me it is still a dirty trick to attempt to take my place in the Elite Ten without fighting me at my fullest. I know the rules well; I'm neither a transfer nor a foreign student."

Both Soma and Akira understood what she meant by that.

"To challenge an Elite Ten member," she began, taking a long deep breath. "You have to partake in a multi-layered Shokugeki, best two-out-of-three duels. Each of the three duels are divided by "Appetizer", "Main Course" and "Desert" respectively; all three of them following a restaurant theme chosen before the first round. They would have to be served to a finite number of guests, our "clients" so to speak, who will be the actual judges to the event. An odd number of tables, each picking a dish they prefer. First student to win two rounds wins the Shokugeki. Considering the sheer amount you have to make, it is obvious that you would need assistance, like an actual restaurant. Aside from the personal aide or assistant chef, you would need a good four or five other people working in order to satisfy the conditions. I get all that, but," she stopped, signaling Soma. "Where does he come in?"

"In what I just said Erina," her grandfather's voice was soft, paternal. Before she could ask, he answered: "In real life, you'll sometimes end up with employees you don't like and can't simply fire."

"What? If they don't work I can of course-"

"If they don't work, yes, you can. If they breach the contract or cause you to fail in any way then yes, you can fire them without sparing them a second thought," he smiled as he said so, most of the audience finding it a bit creepy. "Even more so, you normally give employees a few months of probation in order to ensure that they satisfy the needs of the position you've given them. But, what happens when you have an employee who you dislike, whose work methods go against what you do or how you work and whose style completely goes against your own. Who is your polar opposite, but despite this or perhaps because of this, is good at what he does. He is never tardy or absent, he works hard, his cooking is unorthodox but not in any way bad, he accomplishes all of the goals established by the company, and even when he makes mistakes, he is able to correct them or take correct disciplinary action against it. According to the law of many countries, you can't fire someone without a reason. So," he stopped, taking a breath after the mini speech. "What reasons have you for firing Soma Yukihara?"

Erina Nakiri wanted to scream. She needed to stop this, she knew her grandfather. She knew that look he got in his eyes when he stubbornly believed he was right about something and he was just doing his part as a loving grandfather and teaching her about the world. She was no longer a baby; she did not have to take this. "Yukihara has," she just needed to say something; anything at all.

Then it clicked, he was a pervert, he sexually harassed her, shoving something hot into her mouth. It sounded dirty but it could, no, would work. You can fire someone with sexual harassment. It was all she needed to at least cast enough doubt on anyone present to forbid him for being near her and, quite possibly, expelling him if he tried anything. She could get out of this, she could.

As she smiled and turned to him, she saw him for what could be referred to as the first time. He wasn't grinning or leering at her, he was waiting her response. He looked… nervous even. This boy had lost the festival just a few hours ago; and in that moment, she saw what his eyes were saying.

"_I can fight Akira Hayama again."_

He wasn't nervous. He was anxious. He wanted to work with her to take down the guy that had taken him down. He wanted revenge, sweet revenge.

A dish best served cold.

"…done nothing which could get him fired. Attitude and flaws aside, he is a decent enough chef, for someone of his caliber at least," she signed; she was growing too soft. Still, the cocky grin that Akira sported after she had refused the Shokugeki bothered her intensively. With or without Yukihara, she could beat him with plastic knives.

"Sheesh, Nakiri. Can't even get one compliment from you without it being turned into an insult in the same sentence?" Yukihara was grinning now, which somehow irked her more than Akira's.

"Don't speak to me," without awaiting any response or reaction, she turned to Akira. "You're on Hayama. Tomorrow morning we'll speak and set up the details. I just need tonight to think about just what it is I'm going to get out of you."

As everyone tried their best to remain silent, Senzaemon shocked most of the spectators by bursting out with a loud laugh. Even Erina and Akira were surprised by the sudden burst, one which Alice was quick to follow. Even Soma chuckled a bit, although more out of confusion than anything else.

"Ah… This'll be good. One thing comes to an end and another begins, such is the life of a chef," Senzaemon spoke, still with a wide smile. "Tomorrow the next big thing starts, but for now, let us enjoy this celebration. DJs, music!"

A loud boom was heard followed by a mix of electronic music, and while Hisako was quick to reach Erina and lead her away, Soma couldn't help but stare. It was there it dawned to him that he was going to be working with her.

Working _for_ her.

"…I really have horrible luck."

-0-

The next morning Soma found himself to have had experienced what some might refer to as a lousy night. Not that he was a stranger to experiencing distress or eustress on certain situations, such as a night before an important match for the former or the night before Christmas for the latter; but this time he had trouble sleeping without knowing exactly why.

He didn't feel nervous or excited. Heck, when he had gone to bed after all the excitement subsided from the party and Akira's and Erina's back and forth challenge; he had felt pretty tired. Yet, he hardy slept. Too tired to sleep?

As he was forcing his body to get up from his bed, since he needed to drink something, use the toilet and stretch; not in that order and hopefully not simultaneously, he heard a loud continuous knock on the front door of the dorms.

Deciding stretching was the most doable of the things he needed right now, Soma walked down the stairs and reached the front door as he stretched his protesting muscles into submission; while ignoring his protesting stomach and bladder. Opening the door he was met by a face he had probably been expecting anyway.

"Soma! It's so good to see you! Really is! I mean, do you always answer the door on the dorm? Working part-time as a doorman? Oh, wait, those aren't the questions I should be asking, really… it should be more akin to the whole Akira vs. Erina debate. I-I ordered it Akira first since it is alphabetically corrects, or should it be Erina vs. Akira since she's the bigger name of the two? Then again, he is the one challenging her, so…"

Trying to understand half of what the kid was saying was hard enough, especially at the speeds he was going. "Settle down kiddo, isn't it too early for the newspaper club resident Lois Lane to be bugging people?"

"I fancy myself an early bird, of sorts. So… Soma Yukihara reads Superman?"

"Stop turning everything into gossip. Besides, what do you want Mitsuru? Shouldn't you be bothering Hayama or Nakiri for info? Why are you here?"

"Well…" Ace reporter Mitsuru Soutsuda pondered for a bit, before deciding the truth would probably be better than making something up. "I tried to, but Akira's been gone from his dorm for a while and no one has seen him since at around 4:56 am when he went to a vending machine and ordered a can of iced coffee…"

'This kid's scarier than Mimasaka,' was a thought that crossed Soma's mind, admittedly it was not the first time it did. Young Mitsuru had a talent for scooping info out of people without their knowing. "And as for Ms. Erina, she, well, I couldn't get through."

"Her security? Just call her cousin like we did last time."

"No, everyone's there. All the other reporters, even those from the High School division," he spoke with a downed gaze, sighing. "She's not sparing anyone even a few seconds of her time. Ms. Hisako is the only one of the students with her as she's preparing what appear to be the conditions for her duel against Akira. Today's big scoop is going to be finding out what that is."

"I'm not taking you to see her."

"What? No! I know that," he spoke up, edging closer to Soma with an eager and serious look in his eyes. "The scoop I want right now is yours. Can I interview you?... Again?"

"No," Soma shut the door between them, leaving Mitsuru all eager eyes and all facing the door.

"Again?" The sense of déjà vu being strong.

-0-

"This works."

Hisako Arato turned to face Erina as the latter spoke up. A few sheets of paper, which Hisako had just printed out of the internet a few minutes ago, were currently being held and observed by the ice queen of Tootsuki. It took Hisako only a few moments to remember what information was written there.

"Those are his personal inventory, right?" asked Erina's secretary. Erina gave her a nod and smiled.

"That fool. I may get some good stuff after all," Erina spoke up setting the papers aside. It was then she realized how messy her room had gotten with both girls digging up anything they could find of worth out of Akira Hayama. The ice queen's room, normally a quarters fit for a princess of an industrial and rich family, currently looked like a tornado had blown. Not that it bothered her much; she never did do the cleaning.

"Milady, are you certain about this? I've got nothing against Yukihara in the professional sense per say, but as an individual…"

"I understand you far too well, but unfortunately my grandfather can be a stubborn man. Besides," she took a look towards her window, giving the outsides a gaze. "With all the media hounds already rattled; my reputation could take a minor blow if I back down now. And don't you forget, Hayama cannot prohibit me from using you as well."

"If you say it like that…"

Erina gave a soft laugh. It was nice to see Hisako fluster like she used to, not all stiff and serious like she became after she lost to Akira. Maybe part of the reason for her eagerness to accept and her overlooking certain details, notably Yukihara's participation, was in part due to wanting to get some revenge of what Akira did to Hisako at the Festival. Best served cold.

"I'd never use you, you're far too important for me," Erina simply looked on as Hisako turned a bit red and looked away. Praising this girl always made her blush. She found that too cute. Before she could see if she could make her turn fifty different shades of red Hisako spoke up. "Changing the subject," the girl in question spoke. "Just how are you planning to deal with the media?"

"I'm not really overly concerned with-"

The interruption was caused by her door swinging open, causing both girls to jump slightly. For a moment, Erina thought she had called this upon herself upon dismissing the media; half expecting a crew of paparazzi barging in with camera flashing and microphone shoving. But it wasn't that.

Instead, she got something worse.

"Erina!" a gleeful Alice popped herself into the room, twirling around in mock happiness as she edged closer to a stiffening Erina. "Oh, and Hishoko too. Ladies, you won't believe the amount of people out there wanting to hear from you."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't barge in here Alice; and I'm not worried about the- Hey! Get out of my room Kurokiba!" Upon noticing Alice "lackey" entering behind Alice, Erina flushed and stood up. Hisako was too busy trying to correct Alice on her name to mind the intruding boy much.

"Why?"

"This is a lady' room, you can't just barge in here."

"Relax cousin of mine, he's with me."

"And neither can you! I'm busy. We're busy."

"And that's why we came. I wanted to see if you needed anything for your upcoming thing with Akira. And Ryou here is going to participate, so get used to him," Alice spoke up, signaling the boy. "Besides, he's been in here before."

"Not in my room."

"Oh, he's harmless," as she spoke, she patted Kurokiba on the head, ignoring his "stop it" complaints. As she did so, she continued. "I would know. We've taken baths together. Isn't that right. Oh yes it is, oh yes it is."

"Stop treating him like a dog, and I don't care what you two have done, you've always been shameless like that!" Erina turned to hide a blush, which only Hisako noted. As far as she could remember, Erina had always been a bit bashful when it came to the opposite sex.

"Shameless? We were kids. I was flat as a board and this guy here measured a good two inches at best," both girls blushed intensively at Alice, while the one who should blush apparently ignored her. Erina was starting to envy that ability of his. "Besides Erina, you should really start considering getting yourself a boyfriend," Alice made a few gestures with her hands which no one in the room understood, most assumed it was a misshaped heart, before continuing. "You've always been shy around men, starting with that cook who worked here for a bit-"

"Alice! Enough. You've got my attention. What do you want?" Erina rather avoid letting Alice continue once she got wound up like that.

"Just wanted to make sure you had something on good old Akira Hayama. Unless you make him your personal Chippendale dance, I'm not sure you know what to ask of him," Alice smiled as she spoke, causing Erina to narrow her eyes. Sometimes Alice irritated her almost as much as Yukihara. Almost.

"We," signaling herself and Hisako. "Already got that covered. So, if you don't mind," Erina walked passed Alice and headed outside her room. "Come here for a second."

Alice did as told and cocked her head to the side when she reached Erina, mouthing a 'what's up' as Erina crossed her arms across her chest. "What do you really want, Alice?"

"I didn't lie. I'm not going to sell you to the media or anything."

"I know. But I also know that you are fully aware that Kurokiba is involved."

"So?"

"So," Erina mocked Alice's tone, causing the younger cousin to let out a soft giggle. "You wouldn't by any chance want to, I don't know," Erina smiled in return. "Help Akira?"

Alice's smile could not be read.

"I'd never."

"I would hope," Erina turned to face one of the windows which adorned the mansion's many hallways. Looking outside, she could see how the eagle-eyed "paparazzi" quickly noted some movement in the building and began searching in that general directions. Part of her would admit she loved the attention. "I mean it's not like," she turned back to Alice. "You would have a, heaven forbid, personal grudge against Yukihara or me for that matter."

"Fat ego as always," Alice spoke cheerfully, stepping closer to her cold cousin. "I'm not as stubborn as you are; I mean, I am stubborn, just not at your level. I may have lost to Soma, but I don't need to hide behind Ryou and much less behind Akira to get back at him. I can remedy that myself. As for Ryou," she turned to face the door leading to Erina's room, where both Kurokiba and Hisako had remained in polite silence. Or eavesdropping. Could be either. "He's the one you should look out for, not little old me."

"Best hope that's true."

"Stop threatening me, Erina, meanie. I really did come-Hey, wait. If you're dealing with all this, shouldn't Soma be here? I mean, Akira texted Ryou half an hour ago to meet up with him for the meeting with grandpa."

"Him? Why should he… Wait, Hayama texted Kurokiba?"

"Yeah, he should be with Akira already but I was just bugging him not to go so soon since I'm bored, you know," she edged closer to Erina as she spoke, whispering. "When you've just met you have to make yourself seem difficult or else the other party may lose interest."

"…"

-0-

"Could you get out of my room," spoke an increasingly irritated Zenji Marui, staring intently at Soma who was currently seated at the floor in the middle of his room. His voice made it evident that is was more of a command than a question, but Soma paid him no mind. He was learning from the rest of the group that if you needed somewhere to be at the dorms and didn't want to be in your room, then Zenji's was the place to go.

"Just a sec Marui. Just look at this one, what do you think?" Soma asked as he lifted a tool into the air, examining it.

"It's a potato peeler."

"I can see that, what I mean is where is it from? Seems like it belonged to some Hatsune Ryuuga…"

As Soma continued his examination, Zenji decided it would be best to help if he hoped to be able to get some time to himself. "Give it here," he spoke up, another command as he simply stood up and took it from Soma's hands. Soma merely followed Zenji with his gaze as the bespectacled boy with his gaze. Zenji took a seat in front of his laptop, booted it up, and in moments he was surfing the web.

"You're really got with technology Marui, mine takes hours to load."

"That's probably because you've saved too much bytes of information on it, probably have a handful of programs which start up automatically when the computer boots up," as he spoke, he began to type. Soma merely looked on and smiled.

"And you're really smart too. With a little practice, you'll be deadly in the next competition, whenever that is…"

"True." As Zenji spoke, he pushed his glasses back onto position by the frame on the bridge, giving him a cleared view of the screen. He had picked up that habit thanks to watching too many an anime with "cool" characters with glasses, be they villainous medical ninjas or heroic energy archers. "Joaquin Rodriguez."

"…Ah, are you writing a story?"

"No, I mean this is the guy you're looking for. Joaquin Rodriguez, Cuban descent. Family moved from Cuba to the United States, Arizona to be exact. Excelled in food decorations and styles. Currently working as an assistant chef at a Cheesecake Factory back at his state," as Zenji spoke, Soma just nodded. He hoped that his silence would indicate Zenji that he wasn't really following him. All he actually got was that he wanted to go make a cheesecake and decorate it in the shape of Cuba.

"Ahh…" Soma interrupted, hoping to get his point through. "Marui, what does-?"

"Hatsune Ryuuga is Joaquin Rodriguez. Most transfer students change their name when they come to Japan. Just like Akira did," as Zenji said this, he could see Soma's eyes widen. This caused Zenji to smile. For such a brilliant and capable chef, Soma could be clueless on a lot of things, many of them basic for someone who actually lives in Japan.

"Cool! What's Akira's real name. He looks Indian, so… I don't really know any Indian names, and if I start guessing they could probably sound racist so I won't, so… Cuba, cool. That's a cold place, right?"

"Wrong," Zenji sighed, clueless doesn't even describe it. "It's close to Florida of the United States, on the Caribbean Ocean. Tropical weather, doesn't even snow. The food there-"

"Moro y cristianos, usually with shredded meat on the side or "ropa vieja" as they call it, right?"

For a moment, Zenji's eyes widened in turn. Soma knew there dishes. He didn't know there climate, their position, or heck, he didn't even know details about Japan, but he knew about their main dish. One of them at least. "Impressive, that's quite true. Didn't know you knew Spanish."

"I don't, had to look it up. Did you know ropa vieja means old clothes, that's a weird name for food, don't you think?" he said this with a smile, which caused Zenji to understand him more. Soma was the type of guy who could be a genius, but only if he liked what he had to study. He read about different things from around the world, but all of it leads back to the kitchen. A chef without a border. A potential without a limit.

"Yeah, it's a cultural thing I suppose. They probably think the same about our sushi."

"Probably…" Soma stood up and went next to Zenji, looking at the screen. "So… Rodriguez. How am I gonna get your potato peeler back to you? Marui?"

"I could find you the address," he thought out loud. "Or, I could get you some contact information."

"That'd work."

"What are you boys doing in here?" came a voice from the doorway. Standing there was Ryoko Sakaki, leaning against the frame. She eyed Zenji, then Soma, then back at Zenji. "If you guys are doing something fun, I want in. I'm getting bored here and Yuuki is out feeding her animals and most of the guys went out. I haven't seen Megumi either, so…" she trailed off. "What are you guys up to?"

"Potato peelers."

"That sounds weird Yukihara," Zenji added, before continuing. "Just trying to be the Good Samaritan and return all these cooking utensils Yukihara here won back from Mimasaka. I think were about 80% complete."

"Cool," as she spoke, she walked in and took a seat on Zenji's bed. Zenji realized his alone time would not come, as Soma turned to face her.

"Sakaki, you said everyone's out?"

"Yeah, not too long ago it seems," she spoke, leaning back against the bed until she was laying down on it. "I heard Shun in his room not thirty minutes ago."

"That's-"

"Here," Zenji interrupted Soma, handing him a piece of paper. As Soma took it and gave it a look, he found all of Rodriguez's contact information on it, including a picture (probably a copy of the Tootsuki ID photograph) and even his grades before he left.

"Dude!"

"What?"

"You have a printer here?"

"…Isshiki has a garden and Yoshino has a farm; and you're surprised I have a printer. This is a school you know."

"Oh, right," Soma stated, obviously. Sometimes, with all the competitions and seriousness of the cooking, he forgot that not all classes were about dishes, or culinary tactics. History, Math, Japanese, English and even some Physical Education were given at Tootsuki. For all his expertise and epicness at the kitchen, Soma could just barely pass as an average student on these other classes. Hope graduation doesn't depend too much on them. Why does a chef need to know what happened in World War II anyways?

"So Soma, you're trying to get everything back to their respective owners. Did Takumi take his back already?" Ryoko asked, receiving a quickly shook head in response with Soma mouthing a 'stubborn idiot'. Before she could ask she heard Zenji speak up, but not to them.

"Hello?"

"Yukihara, come to the Headmaster's office at 11:15 sharp, we're holding a meeting which your presence is required," as the voice in the phone spoke, Zenji realized three things. One, it wasn't for him. Two, it was Erina Nakiri calling. And three, it was still his phone she was calling.

"Uhh… Ma'am, you've got the wrong number, I'm not Yukihara."

"Huh? Isn't this…"

"Hello!" Soma intercepted having taken Zenji's phone out of his hands at the moment he heard his name. Zenji was too taken aback to protest and Ryoko was just staring. "And who might this be?"

"…Yukihara."

"Ah, Nakiri. What's up?"

"…You have a secretary now?"

"Sure do, ain't that cool? He's a better secretary than Hishoko huh?" he said this with a grin, as he could hear Erina sigh from the other line. Sometimes this girl was just too serious.

"Then ask your "secretary" to relay the information I just gave him. Don't be late."

"Huh? What information?"

Too late. By the time he had gotten to "Huh?", Erina had already hung up, leaving a very confused Soma turning to face Zenji. "Eh… Marui, could you tell me what she said?"

He would have wanted to tell him that he was not a secretary. Tell him not to use his phone and to give his number away. Heck, ask him how he got his number in the first place, but the thought of having his room to himself turned out to be too strong to resist.

"Meet her at the Headmaster's office. Now," he lied. It was only 9:55; Soma still had time. Zenji had no intention to let him know that.

"Now! Damn that Nakiri, can't she call on time," as he spoke he ran out the room, having grabbed the printed sheets and the potato peeler and dashed as fast as he could while a 'thanks' could be hear from across the hallway.

Zenji then turned to his other guest.

"Sakaki, don't you have a class at 10:30?" he asked faking ignorance. He knew her schedule well; he knew all of their schedules.

"Yeah," she spoke up, shutting her eyes. "But I'm not going; it's my lovely time a month so I asked a classmate to copy for me. She told me not to worry, besides, it's just math. I'll just ask you to explain it all anyways."

As she cheerfully spoke, Zenji wondered if she closed her eyes on purpose to avoid seeing him turn a very dark shade of red at her openness to discuss certain topics so offhandedly. Apparently, she didn't notice or care since at the moment she opened her eyes and looked at him all she asked was: "So, what do you want to do?"

Getting asked this by a girl on his bed could be misinterpreted in so many ways…

-0-

It occurred to Soma at that instant that he had never actually gone to the Headmaster's office; he didn't even know where it was! He decided to look around and ask anyone who resembled a teacher, assistant or just a smart person; but somehow ended up arriving at the janitorial headquarters, again, and having to ask for directions. The clerk took out his large pointer and signaled where he should go.

After walking, jogging, and then running towards the destination, Soma arrived at 11:11 at the ever elusive office which had a rather big sign above it that read "HEADMASTER", with multiple signs along the way having arrows and notices. He felt stupid.

Worse, Erina was standing outside the office.

Arms crossed across her chest, one hand holding a rather expensive phone as she seemed to be reading something on it. For a moment, he felt he had seen a ghost.

"About time," was all she said.

"Seriously, I'm sorry. You wouldn't believe how lost I got, because I can't believe how lost I got. I took a turn here, and there, and I warped about thirty miles away. That's the only explanation I can give," he spoke as he took a few breathes. He was sweating and he was thirsty. She just cocked an eyebrow.

"While getting fifteen minutes before a meeting is proper etiquette, grandfather is a bit of a slouch when it comes to being punctual," Erina spoke up, eyes still glued to her flickering screen. "He'll be here shortly. Meeting starts in two minutes; you're not late."

"Two minutes…" he just mouthed off the words, realizing Zenji Marui had gotten one over him.

An eerie silence befell the two, as the seconds seemed to take longer than usual while Erina played or read or texted or did whatever she was doing on her phone and Soma just stared at her, then the wall, then a portrait of the old man, then her again, then his shoes, then back to the old man's portrait, then her again, then the floor.

"Stop staring."

"Actually, my eyes are dead set on the floor. Interesting design by the way," as he spoke, she didn't say anything more or even move. Every time he interacted with her, if it could be called that, he learned that she was the person he had the most difficulty dealing with. Furthermore, he had no trouble voicing it. "Same as always huh?" he started, she paid no attention. "You're so hard to relate to you know? Always so serious and stubborn; it's going to be hard to win against Hayama with you as my boss…"

Saying the word 'boss' gave him the chills. Boss, boss, boss… Erina Nakiri was his boss.

"Anyway," he continued, trying to get that image out of his head. The one with her sitting on a desk firing him for breathing too loudly. "Even a normal Shokugeki with you as my partner would be too much. If you were more like Tadokoro then maybe we could work some-"

"Don't compare me to another girl."

He blinked. Twice. She had just said it so suddenly and seriously that; while she had not actually said it loud enough to interrupt him, it had caused him to immediately stop. For some reason, it actually irked him a bit. "I'm not comparing you Nakiri; besides, Tadokoro is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, it's far from an insult."

"Megumi Tadokoro," she worded it softly, placing her phone back in her pocket. "Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen. Even managed to move to crowd and received a standing ovation. Her only personality flaw is her actual acceptance of your company."

"If you actually see that, then why-?"

"I am Erina Nakiri. There is no one else like me, do not compare me, to anyone," she spoke as serious as Soma had ever heard her, and in her eyes he saw a very strong determination. As if daring him to state otherwise.

"I…" he spoke; without thinking, since it all came flowing out. "There's no other girl like you."

They both stared.

Erina allowing the words to sink in and Soma realizing what he said. Erina understood what he meant, but the way he phrased it mixed with the way he spoke it sounded too much like the stories she read. Too much like he shouldn't say it. Soma, on the other hand, felt he had said the most foolish thing. The way he had it in his head, and the way it had come out of his mouth were not the same.

"That… sounded weird," he spoke with a soft laugh, trying to see if he could pass it off. Erina, however, just stared. Her eyes betrayed nothing. She wasn't flustered, angry, laughing (he's never seen her laugh, the jolliest he's seen her was when he lost, go figure) or even confused. She was just looking at him. Now _he_ felt weird.

"Sorry for my lateness everyone," Senzaemon Nakiri's voice interrupted the silence, causing Soma to turn to the old man. Behind him were both Akira Hayama and Ryou Kurokiba; the former with all the seriousness of a serial puppy kicker and the latter with the most 'I don't want to be here' look a guy could give. "So, if you all don't mind, we have some terms and conditions to discuss and some paperwork to fill out. If you please."

As the old man spoke a representative of his, a young man with a pencil moustache whose color did not match his hair, held the door open for them. Senzaemon motioned for the students to enter his office, which Akira quickly did, passing by without sparing Soma a glance. Ryou followed, dragging his feet across the floor.

"Guess this is it," Soma spoke as he turned to face Erina, only to be met by her eyes directly. Intently.

"N-Nakiri?"

Erina looked at him for another moment, before turning and entering the Headmaster's office without a further word, leaving a very confused and weirded out Soma standing alone just outside the office.

-0-

The Author Rants About:

Cooking

In a manga where cooking is the equivalent of fighting, and how good a chef you are is the same as how high your power level is; translating that aspect faithfully to text is quite hard. The manga is exaggerated, which is why I love it. It takes itself seriously, and then it doesn't. It mocks many of the clichés you find in manga, be there shonen or seinen (heck, even shojo manga get spoofed), but in this world all that epicness is treated seriously. If you're a good chef, you've got the world in your hands. Food can take people out of a religion!

So, translating that here is difficult. Two chapters in and Soma hasn't cooked. What gives? Well, my dearest readers; I'm downplaying the cooking aspect. To me, I can never equal or come close to how the manga handles it or how well they elaborate on foods and culinary arts and such. What I want to do is a good story, where all the characters are utilized to their best potential and you can enjoy seeing them do things they wouldn't normally do in the manga. Will they cook? Yeah, of course. Shokugeki's will still play a major part, since the whole Erina vs. Akira (or should it be Akira vs. Erina?) is a major part of the plot. But not will not be the main ingredient (pun!) of the story.

Which will be the main point then? Well, Soma and Erina. Their relationship, their trails, their, well, everything. This is taking two young teens and placing them in a situation where cooking won't be their biggest worry. It'll play a part, but it won't be their most major concern. What could be so big that it makes our biggest cook-a-holics take other interests? Tune in next week. Or month? Not sure…

FWI: This is my biggest "Rant" yet. About cooking. It _is _a big deal, huh?

-0-

The Author Responds To:

New Section!

Short answers or comments to my reviewers; since while I have replied to a few; I feel it doesn't do them justice to just do it so privately. I want everyone to know how grateful I am for these reviews and for the time taken to give them, so…

**1. **baynard: This is one of my favorite manga at the moment too, which is obvious since I'm writing this so I guess I'm stating the obvious by stating it… Anyway, thank you so much, and I hope I do this universe justice with this expansion I'm giving it. And I give you guys a good read while I'm at it.

**2. **DefinitelyNotAnApple: As I stated on my reply, thank you so much for the feedback, don't worry about me taking any of this the wrong way. I'm grateful and I need comments like this. I need to learn and improve. I've tried to modify a few things and I know there are still a few errors here and there, so hopefully with time and support from readers like you I can improve this to a level even greater.

**3. **TeddyHugs: As with my reply, thanks and keep at it. I'm glad my comments can inspire you to keep getting better. Also, I noticed you have a story for Shokugeki no Soma posted, one which I find myself so very tempted to read now. So, expect some feedback soon, since we have just got to get more people invested in this archive!

**4. **KurobaraIto: Thank you. And yes, I intend to continue this, already have everything in my head and quite a few notes lying around. Just hope the canon story doesn't go a similar direction, that'd be weird.

**5. **magic bounce: In a story grammar is just as important as vocabulary, so I'm glad for the positive feedback on the matter. Granted, this is not error free; not Chapter One nor this one, but I'm trying my best. Similarly, I'll try to keep everyone as in-character as I can, since we haven't really seen these guys doing anything I'm about to have them do. Had we, I wouldn't be writing this.

**6. **DarkManta: Yes, that's correct. That's the basics of this story. A "What-If Soma lost to Akira in the finals". At the time of this writing, we're still waiting for the semi-finals, so we can only guess/predict what outcome it'll have. I just followed Shonen 101 (rule #1: hero never wins first tournament) and used that to launch my plot, by giving Akira, as champion, access to certain benefits he wouldn't otherwise have; not to mention him having had Shokugeki's during his matches against both Ryou and Soma; which I don't think will happen in canon.


	3. Our Theme

**Nouvelle**

**Rating: **T

**Pairings: **Soma/Erina, Ryou/Alice, Akira/Jun

**Genre: **Romance, Comedy, FanFictionesque Romantic Drama

**Notes:** Thanks all for all the encouragement and positive response that these previous two chapters have received. While I know the Shokugeki no Soma (Souma?) fanfiction archive is, for the lack of a better word, lacking in both stories and general interest; I certain that once our cooking manga gets an anime, more stories will find their way here. Until then, we are the pioneer writers and readers of this manga; so let's make the most of it!

* * *

"N-Nakiri?" was all Soma could voice before the princess of Tootsuki eyed him briefly before walking right passed him and into the Headmaster's office without a further word. He was left very confused and weirded out by her sudden reaction, or lack of a reaction. At this, Soma found himself standing alone just outside the office, while everybody else was already making themselves comfortable inside. Shaking his head after deciding that now was not the time for him to start becoming socially awkward, Soma turned and walked into the Headmaster's office, leaving only the faint sound of the door closing out on the hallway.

Taking a few steps inside, Soma realized just how big, or more properly, spacious this man's office was. The desk was at the direct center, with big windows adorning the back giving a glimpse to Tootsuki as a whole from here, while directly in front of the desk were currently four chairs; three of which were currently occupied. Mounted on the walls were a variety of things, from family portraits and golden awards to stuffed animal corpses and hunting rifles. It impressed Soma how one side of the room directly contradicted the other.

"Oh, that reminds me," Senzaemon spoke up, eyeing Soma directly. "This is your first time coming in here. Normally I take my time to explain all of these memories I've mounted on the wall, but since we are in a bit of a rush, since our companions here have a lot of paperwork to do for today…" he motioned to the two men accompanying him as he spoke. "I may have to give you said reminiscences on a later date."

"Sure," Soma nodded as he took a seat, next to a crossed arm Erina. "You hunted old man?"

"That I did," he spoke, nodding also. "In fact, you see that rifle there. It was the first I had, handed down to me from my dear old papa back in the day. He said: "Son, I'm going to give you this but don't do like your cousin Shirou did and shoot-"

"Paperwork, grandfather."

"Oh… right," he spoke with a blush, avoiding eye contact with his two employees. "Another time. Now then, to all of us gathered here. Have we managed to come to an agreement?"

The four present looked at him for a moment, as did Senzaemon at them. From his left to right, he could see how each seemed to be at the moment. At the furthest left was Ryou Kurokiba. He looked impatient and bored, slouching on the chair while keeping his eyes focused on Senzaemon. Out of everyone, he had yet to utter a single word. Next to him was Akira. He was calm, as per usual; sitting straight with one leg crossed over the other. His eyes were also focused on Senzaemon, just not as intensely. Next came his dear granddaughter. She was sitting as refined as she would always be; arms crossed and legs properly crossed, also eyeing her grandfather. Last came Soma, who looked nervous and was having a hard time staying still, all the while looking at every inch of the office like a child looking at a circus.

"I'm not nervous," Soma's voice caught Senzaemon off-guard. "It's just so cold here. I kind of now realize why everyone brought a jacket with them, but it's my first time here, so… I'm kinda freezing here."

Senzaemon just smiled, before turning to one of the two standing next to him. "Please, lower the air a bit, don't want Yukihara to freeze here." As the man did as told, earning himself a "Thanks" from Soma, Senzaemon continued. "You all seemed so lively yesterday; had you not come up with anything?"

"It's not my place to say," Akira was the first to speak. "After all, my intentions are clear. All that remains is for Erina to agree and to state her terms."

"My _terms_ are as follow," Erina followed. "If I win, I want your recipe book."

Akira's eyes widened slightly, as he turned to face Erina. She was just smirking as she took her sweet time to turn to face him. "Deal?"

"How on Earth did you find that out?"

"I am, after all, the expectant heir to Tootsuki itself," she was just on an ego-trip now; as Soma had learned to just allow her to say what she wanted and to avoid interrupting her. "Nothing goes on in here without my knowing it. I know you have a little book filled with every single recipe you cook or plan to cook. Every ingredient, style and instrument you use is there, along with little bits of trivia like place of origin, different methods of cooking and even cultural aspects behind the dishes. It's like your own personal encyclopedia behind everything you make. A rather nice addition to my library."

"You have a diary Akira?"

"It's not a diary," Akira didn't even bother to look at Soma. Instead, he was focusing on Erina, apparently trying to see something behind her expression. "That book is all my life as a cook condensed into its pages. Giving you it would be like losing what defines my cooking."

"Scared?"

"On the contrary. Exited would be a better word," Akira was smiling, much to Erina's surprise. "For a moment I thought that I wouldn't have something to offer you which amounted to your seat on the Top Ten, but, if my book is what you want; I believe it is a fair trade. Besides, now I have something to fight to _keep_ as well as to fight to _take_."

"Then we are in agreement?"

"I would suppose so."

"Do note," Erina lowered herself, inching a bit closer to Akira. "That if you do any alterations to that book if you lose, you're going against what Tootsuki stands for."

"I'd never," his voice became much drier. "Don't ever take me for a man that does not keep his word. Before our matches start, I'll show the Headmaster my book, allow him to inspect it, and if you win and I give it to you; you can have him clarify that its contents have not been in any way altered."

"Fair enough," Erina smiled as she clapped her hand. "Then it's a deal. Can I go now?"

"Wait Erina, not just yet," her grandfather held out his hand to stop her from getting up, while he turned to Akira. "I will verify your book, but I will in no way read its contents. It is yours and filled with your life's work. After all, I trust the integrity of all those present in this office to the fullest. You are amongst Tootsuki's best and brightest; so I know you are all above some petty tricks. With that said, let's state the terms. My good men," he turned towards the other two. "Best get your pens ready."

The two nodded as they took out their utensils, while Senzaemon waited until their signal to start. "Erina Nakiri, you henceforth agree to participate in this Shokugeki with your seat amongst the Elite Ten as the prize your willing to risk?"

"Yes."

"And you Akira Hayama, you henceforth agree to participate in this Shokugeki with your recipe book as the price your willing to risk?"

"I am."

"Good, then by the power vested in me by the Tootsuki Academy, I hereby in no way sounding like a marriage declaration, accept your terms and agree to this confrontation. Ryou Kurokiba and Soma Yukihara; are you both clear on your participation on this?"

"Yeah, we sort of agreed to this with our matches against Hayama, right?" Kurokiba was still leaning back, eyeing Senzaemon. He received a nod in response before the older man turned to Soma.

"What he said."

"Good, then… you're in as well. Now then, let's select the themes," his voice shifted to a very happy tone, causing Soma some confinement.

"Eh… Old man, you sort of took all the seriousness out of this, you know?"

"Could you stay quiet?"

"Well, all seriousness expect for yours."

"Damn it, if you can't even follow instructions here, I'm-"

"You two are adorable," Senzaemon's words caused both youngsters to look at him, Erina with a glare and Soma with a bemused look. "But, as for what you noticed Soma, yes, it doesn't need to be all serious. The Champion of the Festivals going against an Elite Ten member, my granddaughter no less; with two finalists involved, it's going to bring major ratings for this place. I find it exiting."

"Ratings?" Soma asked, turning his head.

"That's correct," Senzaemon said with a proud look. "Or did you consider this to be a normal match-up? Goodness, this isn't even a normal Shokugeki, no Soma, this is something bigger. The matches will be held with an audience most first years never even see. When one of the Elite Ten are challenged, especially by such an-"

"It's a televised event."

"Oh, cool!"

"Erina, why do you feel the need to ruin my reveals?" he eyed his granddaughter with a sad expression, earning himself only a scoff in return.

"It's not something new. We have our own channel. So we obviously televise this sort of things. Hence why you said "ratings". The only big deal is that the use of the channel is usually preserved for third-years, hence why we may get more attention," after she finished her explanation, which probably everyone in the office knew except for Soma, she then turned back to her grandfather. "Just tell me my theme. I have class in twenty minutes."

"…Ever the strict young lady. Alright, let's get to it then," he spoke as he motioned to one of the men there; the guy who had not turned down the air conditioning. Said man stood up, walked into the storage closet, and came out with a box. He gave the box to Senzaemon, and as the employee sat back down, Senzaemon placed the box on his desk in front of both Erina and Akira. "Here are your themes. Inside are twenty different restaurant themes for you to choose from, you randomly pick one, and we're done for today."

As both Erina and Akira moved towards the box, Senzaemon added. "Be warned, you cannot change what you get afterwards. Also, themes based on Japanese cuisine or Indian cuisine are not in here, lest they give either you an unfair advantage over the other."

Both parties nodded, as they eyed each other. Akira took a step back, giving Erina room. "Go ahead, ladies first."

"Well thank you."

As Erina stood in front of the box, she placed her hand inside. She could feel all the folded up sheets of paper, each of them the exact same size, as to not give away their inscription. If her touch were to be as good as her taste; maybe she could pick out the best one of them. She knew about many styles of cooking from around the worlds, but what if she got one from a place she didn't know much. She knew many American meals, and she was well versed with African cuisine. Maybe if she got something from the Philippians it would work out well, but if not.

"Pick something already," Kurokiba barked, getting impatient. He had a class soon as well.

"Stay on your leash," she barked back as she sighed, picked a random slip and pulled it out. Akira then stood next to her, took one piece, and got it out. Soma stared as the both opened the papers they got, and while their expressions didn't differ much, they both looked… underwhelmed.

"So…?" Soma asked, hoping to get something. He tried to peak at the papers, but he couldn't make out the words.

"Mexican Cuisine," Akira announced, causing Senzaemon to nod as his employees took note. Kurokiba smiled at the announcement, while Soma was staring holes at Erina. The glare she gave allowed him to know she found it annoying.

"And you Erina?" her grandfather asked, eyebrows raced in anticipation.

"…Chinese-American… Why do I have two?"

Soma blinked, before Senzaemon gave a soft chuckle. "It's not really two, more like a mix between cultures, forming a distinct cuisine. A new flavor born out of the mix between countries, or as the French say, _nouvelle_."

"Nouvelle it is," she placed the piece of paper onto her jacket's pocket; while Soma began to think.

'_Chinese-American? Are those like the restaurants in America that serve Chinese cuisine, or the other way around? They aren't that new, are they?' _as Soma lost himself in thought, Erina stood up. "Good, we're done," she spoke as she turned away. "Grandfather, keep me informed as to when the dates of the matches are selected. I've got to get to class followed by starting to get prepared."

"Of course. A letter detailing everything spoken here will be sent to each of you, alongside a list where you both," he signaled to Erina and Akira. "Ask for who else from the student body's first years you'd like to "hire" as support for this Shokugeki. Until then, just brainstorm ideas and study hard. Before you leave thou, do sign that sheet Unomiya has with him. It just confirms we all came to an agreement."

Erina was the first to sign the paper and in a second, she was gone. Akira also signed, before giving the sheet and pen to Kurokiba, who in turn gave it to Soma when he had sighed. After all for signatures were present, Senzaemon waved good-bye to the boys as the exited the office; as Soma stretched himself. "Man, those conditions are brutally exact."

"It's to be expected, it is an Elite Ten seating."

"Procedures are there for a reason," Akira commented, as both Soma and Ryou turned to him. When he saw them both eyeing him with a puzzled look, he muttered: "What?"

"Never knew you to make small talk," Soma responded, smiling.

"I'm not above the occasional conversation, but," he spoke as he eyed his watch. "We'd have to make do with another time, since I'm late as is. Jun won't like my excuses if I start lowering my other grades now."

"You have something going on with that teacher?" as Kurokiba asked, earning himself a puzzled look from Akira, Soma was quick to interrupt.

"That aside, Hayama."

"Yes?"

"I'm not losing to you this time. Better not watch out only for Nakiri…"

"Noted."

As Akira departed, Soma felt his confidence return. He could do this; he could beat him this time. He would study American-Chinese cuisine better than an American or a Chinese citizen, and be able to wow the crowd on the televise event. Next time he met up with Akira, there would be a clear victor.

-0-

"Yukihara, you're paired up with Hayama."

"…Well, this is awkward," spoke Soma as Akira took a seat next to him, both seated on one of the many two-seat desks which made out the Mathematics classroom. After their teacher had assigned the two together, Soma sported a rather embarrassed grin on his features. "Normally Takumi makes these goof-ups, but apparently I'm not immune. Still, for what it's worth Hayama, I suck at math."

"Noted."

-0-

Later that very same day Erina Nakiri found herself finally alone for the afternoon. The news about the upcoming Shokugeki between Akira and herself had already been made public by the officials of Tootsuki, so most of the "reporters" which had been stalking her home had already gotten the information they needed. The remaining ones, which had been trying since early morning to get an interview out of her, had finally given up after realizing they weren't going to get past her security. As it stood, Erina had finally found herself alone at her room, surrounded by the ever desired peace and quiet which she seemed to hardly ever be able to enjoy.

She proceeded to shut the windows, followed by removing all the unnecessary articles of clothing she could currently be without. She should bathe first, but she wanted to just lie for a moment; do nothing for once. She carefully discarded her clothes one by one, until she was left with just a sleeveless t-shirt and her panties (which she proceeded to cover with some shorts; God forbid Alice entering unannounced with Kurokiba again and catching her half-naked). Afterwards, she practically threw herself onto her bed, bouncing slightly until she fell in place.

As she closed her eyes and pondered whether she could allow herself to fall into a mini-coma for a bit, she heard a soft knock on her door. "Go ahead," she spoke up, knowing full well in was Hisako. Alice never knocked.

"Resting?" Hisako asked as she entered her room, closing the door as she did. From just looking at Erina, she could tell her friend was tired.

"Pondering," Erina replied, eyeing Hisako. Before the latter could speak, Erina sat up. "Oh, that reminds me," she clasped her hands together as she spoke. "Hisako, Chinese-American!"

"…What?"

"My theme, for the Shokugeki. A Chinese-America hybrid theme," she explained, causing Hisako to nod at nearly every word.

"Oh… So, sounds simple enough, right?"

"Well, it should be. Chinese cuisine relies heavy on the use of Soy like us, so we have something in common. Several of their dishes have made their way here and vice versa; so it shouldn't be too hard."

"…But American, is that as in Chinese restaurants in America?" Hisako asked Erina, earning herself a nod as response.

"Kind of, it's one way to put it," Erina shifted her view to a globe she had adorning her desk, right next to her computer's monitor. "Chinese-American restaurants are those that bridge both styles of cuisine, but they shouldn't serve as a basis for _my_ work. No, I need to focus on making the best of the best Chinese dishes using American ingredients and cooking methods, that way bridging the gap between countries and creating a true blend between them. Most Chinese-American restaurants just fry rice and call it Chinese. I need to blend in true Chinese dishes, like "kia kou xiao" or "douzhi" or-"

"Or "tong zi dan"?"

"Or "tong z-… No. Just no. No," Erina narrowed her eyes at Hisako, who just chuckled at how each "no" sounded louder than the last. She liked teasing Erina from time to time, since the latter was always so serious when it came to competitions and cooking in general. "Anyway," Erina continued, placing her pillows against her wall to create a seat with them. Resting her back upon her pillow, she continued. "I need to study their culture a bit more, maybe find a few students around her from China and ask around. A few Americans to about how much they know about the Chinese cuisine. Speaking of help, you're in this too, right?"

"Of course, besides, Akira owes me one," Hisako's eyes shifted, a little spark in them. Erina just smiled, feeling a bit glad.

"That's good to hear, since it's better that you just up and dis-"

Her phone rang.

Both girls stared at Erina's phone as a song started to play, with Erina grabbing it and looking at the caller identification. Surprisingly, she didn't have the number saved in her contacts, but it did look familiar. "Who is it?"

"Beats me," Erina answered, swiping the screen with her index finger. "Erina Nakiri speaking."

"Nakiri! Hello! You sure do greet people fancy when you answer your phone."

If Hisako had any doubt left as to who was calling, Erina's face said it all. Only one person alive could make a person as beautiful as Erina (in Hisako's opinion) look so constipated. Not that Hisako was ever going to share that observation with her.

"Yukihara," she practically growled. "Who do you think you are calling me? What do you want?"

"Erm, I'm your partner. My title is "Assistant Chef", I think," his voice was still playful, causing her further grief. "Seriously, we're not going to go back and forth every time we need to talk, right? Hope not. And, hey, since we're buddies now; I wanted to ask on your opinion about this. I was studying up on Chinese-American restaurants and I found quite a few franchises we could take examples from. So, as I'm here making stuff up, I wanted to ask you what type of meat you-"

She removed her phone from her ear. "He doesn't shut up," Erina complained to an amused Hisako. Erina frowned, before pushing the phone in Hisako's direction.

"Wait, what are you…?"

"Shh… Just… talk to him, tell him I went out or something."

"What?" Hisako was trying to be soft-spoken. "Erina, just hang up or something. What do you want me to say?"

"Anything, if I hang up he'll just call again. Tell him anything, you're my secretary."

"…Fine," she spoke, defeated. Hisako took the phone and pressed it against her ear. "H-"

"-a big sausage could-"

She quickly removed the phone. "He's talking about sausages!"

"What!" she shouted as she pressed the phone to her ear. "You pervert, what are you saying?"

"-and some fried-what? Pervert, because I want to fry something? Nakiri, you're weird."

"No," she shouted, clenching the phone. "I'm busy. Don't call me!"

And she hung up.

And she shut the phone down.

Hisako only stared as Erina appeared all flushed and bothered by the event, the ice queen's eyes all narrowed and her expression seeming twice as tired and anguished than when Hisako had entered her room. For whatever reason, Soma Yukihara was bad for Erina Nakiri's health. Hisako would have to make sure to keep the peace if she hoped to help her friend through the upcoming multi-layered Shokugeki. "Milady," she spoke softly, saying it tenderly and playfully. "You'll only have to withstand him for a little while, and I'll be here; it's nothing you can't handle."

"…I hope you're right," Erina muttered, though she smiled when Hisako patted her on the head.

"Come on," Hisako spoke, as she stood up from the bed. "Let's take a bath and play something afterwards. I'm already done with tomorrow's homework, so we could play a while."

"Let's."

-0-

On the other now dead line was a frustrated Soma Yukihara. "S-She, she hung up on me!" he exclaimed, screaming at the phone. "Man, what's her deal, here I am worrying about are match and she doesn't even care. At this rate, how am I going to win without being able to give any input? Seriously!"

"First, she's like that. Second, give me back my phone."

"Oh, sorry Marui; forgot I borrowed it."

"_Borrowing _is one way to put it…" as Zenji muttered to himself while he took his phone back, the rest of Polar Star's residents were plenty busy preparing their supper. In a school where cooking took up a good 85% of the curriculum; any meal created by the student body had to be to great standards. Even on their free time. Not that this was a law or anything, but the students did adore to cook, so it was a no brainer. At Polar Star Dorms, they had assigned a day were each of the students would work on the supper, as a way to help train each of them. The schedule was as follows:

Mondays was Shun Ibusaki's turn to cook, which was what today was. Polar Star Dorms was filled with smoke every time he took the wheel, hence why it had been decided that the fire alarm was to be shut down as he cooked; with adequate supervision at hand or course.

Tuesdays was Yuuki Yoshino's turn, which meant meat, meat and more meat. It was the day that Megumi hated the most. Not because she hated Yuuki's cooking, on the contrary, she adored Yuuki's style, but rather that she did not want to see animals she had seen being fed being cooked. Hence, she would always go out for a walk until the cooking was done.

Wednesdays was Ryoko Sakaki's day. As per usual with her, most of her ingredients had been prepared the week prior, only lightly cooked and served that day. She then spend the rest of the day preparing next week's meal ingredients and leaving them fermenting on the basement.

Thursdays was Zenji Marui's turn to cook. Considering how varied his style was. Similar to Soma's, Zenji usually tried his most unorthodox dishes here, with usually gathered mix results. Not because of the taste, but rather how complicated the instructions to eat his dishes were and how much he demanded everyone follow them.

Fridays was Daigo Aoki's turn, although he had been ever so kind as to share his day with his good pal Shoji Sato ever since the latter was ever so kind as to give up his day. Fumio Daimidou half suspected that the two had agreed to take turns each week on cooking duties out of laziness, but she agreed on the condition that she supervised their studying. They have since regretted their decision.

Saturdays had been Shoji Sato's day, but he had since given it to newcomer Soma Yukihara when his arrival gave Polar Star Dorm's more first years than days in a week. While everyone enjoyed Soma's cooking, he had been forbidden from ever cooking with squids. Ever.

Sundays was Megumi Tadokoro's turn. Ever fitting on the most relaxed day of the week, her homely cooking and careful dishes were a perfect way to rejuvenate the youngsters and prepare them for another hard week. Now if they could only try to convince her to experiment a little bit more.

Aside from this, holidays and such fell under Satoshi Isshiki's obligation. He allowed the younger members to rest up on days were school was off, and each day he also helped supervise their cooking in order to not only help them, but, as Fumio had put it, continue to train himself as a trainer and manager.

And, if any of them were sick or a big event was coming when they were too busy, or a celebration was in order, Fumio took care of the cooking duties, usually preparing their favorites to cheer up her kids.

Today, being Monday, Shun was busy drowning the others in smoke, while everyone else was busy preparing the dining table and setting up the tableware. "Is it done?" Yuuki's voice could be heard, directed at Shun.

"Patience."

"Tell that to my stomach, I didn't eat this morning so I'm starving. Just serve it raw!"

"Have you ever heard that patience is a virtue? I won't rush my work because you skipped out." Shun spoke up, grinning slightly. All it earned him was Yuuki extending her middle finger at him.

"Yuuki." Fumio's voice was heard, causing Yuuki to clench her fist. "I was just enumerating in my mind."

"Right," Fumio spoke as she looked around. Everything looked set. Everything save for one thing. "Soma, you're not going to eat?"

"Huh?" Soma spoke up, realizing he had not yet set his area. "Oh, sorry, was just talking and studying and kind of spaced out."

As Soma prepared his area, he saw how all the utensils necessary had found their way onto his side of the table. As he gave them a questioning look, he saw how Megumi gave him a warm smile. "Oh, thanks Tadokoro."

She mouthed a "you're welcome" and took a seat. Soma followed suit. As he stared at his empty plate, already tasting whatever it was Shun was making, he felt a tug on his shirt. As he turned, he saw Satoshi Isshiki standing behind him, better dressed than he usually was at the dorm. "Isshiki…"

"The meat's truly delectable Shun, you're actually playing with a few ingredients that bring out the best of the flavor without over relying on the smoking itself, very good," Satoshi spoke up as he congratulated Shun, earning himself a thumbs-up in response. Then he turned towards Soma. "Soma, if you'd be so kind, can we step outside for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure," ignoring his growling stomach, he accompanied Satoshi outside, where Satoshi turned to him.

"Soma, everything okay?"

"…Yeah, I'm starving thou. Whatcha want?"

"Seems to me like pairing up with Miss Erina has begun to trouble you a bit," as Satoshi spoke, Soma's eyebrow raised.

"Why do you say that?"

"Simply, I've noticed. Also," he smiled a bit. "I do work alongside her for most the time. She can be a handful."

"That's an understatement."

"True. So here I am thinking. I can't get directly involved since this is between Erina and Akira, but, maybe I can help a bit. You mostly…"

"In what way?" while he was not against help, there was really nothing to be done until the matches themselves began.

"This way," Satoshi's voice rose as he pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. As Soma eyed it, Satoshi continued. "This is an important notice directed at Erina Nakiri, and I haven't the faintest clue as to how or why it ended up in my personal belongings…"

"Really…?"

"Really," he almost sounded sincere. "So, considering Shun is going to take roughly forty more minutes to finish the meal, I thought you could be a dear and deliver this to her. It could be important."

"…You want me to have an excuse to talk to her?"

"What makes you think that?"

"…You know, I-"

"I'll help you with your math assignment."

"I'm glad to help. Let me change and I'll deliver it to her."

"I thought you would."

-0-

Out of the forty minutes before Shun was done, Soma had already wasted twenty getting to Nakiri's place. He had better hope he could give her this and run back home as to avoid missing out on dinner. It smelled so good.

Stopping at the main entrance, were security was set, he approached the guard. "Evening, I've come to deliver something to Nakiri, she here?" as Soma asked, the guard just stared.

"I'm sorry Yukihara," the guard spoke up, with Soma wondering how he knew his name. Of course, Soma couldn't see into the guard's office where a picture of him was at the main desk with the written instructions: "DO NOT LET HIM IN" signed by Erina. "But the Lady Erina does not wish to see anyone at the moment."

Soma pondered for a bit. Just giving the guard the letter and leaving, but if he had any hopes of beating Akira he had to get Erina to listen to him. She was always so high and mighty that she could very well be over confident and lose the match. Like he did.

Ignoring that thought, he spoke: "Oh, no. I'm not here for that Nakiri, I'm here for the other…" He was trying to remember her name…

"_Like the story."_

"Alice."

"Oh, Milady Alice? Er… One moment please," the guard spoke as he pressed a few buttons on a console, before pointing Soma to a nearby screen. Said screen quickly flashed and a screening of Alice came to view. She was apparently lying in her bed already in her pajamas ready to sleep. This was not going to sound convincing. Or proper.

"Alice, hi!" Soma greeted, sounding off even to himself.

"Soma? Since when do you call me Alice…? And since when do you call me period? What's up?" she asked, which Soma found she was ever so cheerful even when caught off guard. Soma decided tricking her would do no good.

"Erm, well," measuring his words was a must with a six-two guard standing three feet from him. "I needed to come and deliver something to you, _Nakiri_, since when we talked you hung up on me and there's that thing we need to do."

As the guard's eye brow was raised, Soma just faked a smile. Alice blinked, before a teasing grin overtook her. "Oh…" she spoke up in realization. "Right, so, what are you going to give me?"

"Pardon?"

"For letting you in?" she edged closer to the screen as to whisper. "Since you came all this way to see _me_?" she spoke with an added wink. Soma just scratched his head.

"Let me guess, an I.O.U.?"

"…Good boy," she spoke as she clasped her hands, lying herself back against her bed. "Deal. Come on in then, don't make a scene."

As she said this, Soma tried to ask her something, but his voice made no sound as the main gates were opened. Apparently Alice had pressed something, since the guard had been surprised as well. The guard snapped out of it soon enough, thou, a he merely motioned for Soma to enter.

Once inside, Soma remembered how big this place was, with its many hallways and near endless rooms. He remembered the way to Erina's, so he walked as quickly as he could in order to try and talk some sense it to her and be able to get back to the dorm before dessert. Once he made it to the room, he knocked on the door.

No response.

He knocked again.

No response.

He took a few steps back, looking around. She didn't seem to have cameras installed, so she couldn't, shouldn't know it was him. Not unless Alice informed her. But considering Alice, he doubted she would do that. As the idea to merely leave the letter on her door began to sound tempting, he heard someone talking from the hallway. It took him a moment to recognize it as hers.

And then he saw her, walking towards the room in question, next to her autumn-haired friend. She was currently wearing a log sleeved buttoned shirt, most likely her pajamas, accompanied by equally long pants. They were form fitting, more so than the chef attire they normally wore. Soma couldn't really tell why, but he felt a bit weird at seeing her like this. She seemed so… normal.

He also noticed she had not seen him yet, as she continued to talk to her equally dressed secretary.

"-as for handsome, no way. Sachiko would be much better suited wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-"

Oh, she finally made eye-contact with him.

* * *

The Author Rants About:

Romance

Ah, love. Joyful, blissful, ever-lasting, pure, conflicting, confusing, nightmare-inducing, frustrating, hair-pulling, name-calling, sadistic, emotional love. Why are we so drawn to romance? Out of all the genres in stories, romance is usually either the best-seller or a major component in the stories. Who ends up with who is serious business for many, and most of the stories found in are usually about X and X getting together. And hey, I'm guilty of that too so, in a way, I too enjoy both writing and reading such stories.

Why do I bring this up? Well, because I already have this whole story set up, both in my head and in a timeline in my pen drive. Because I want to try and do this as a true romance rather than a cheesy we fall in love by the second chapter thing. At the same time, I want to stay true to the characters, which is hard because Erina hasn't been used much in the story aside from being a run-of-the-mill "tsundere" and Soma's as ignorant to women as they come. So, what to do?

Well, I thought up of a storyline that takes hints from the manga and gave both Soma and Erina something to bond over. Something to help them understand each other. Will this work, or will this fail? You'll have to wait and see. And what is this thing that will eventually unite the two? Here's a hint… It's not Jouichirou.

* * *

The Author Responds To:

**1.** DarkManta: Thanks! And yes, I really don't envision Akira as being a villain per say. Sure he's arrogant and prideful, but you could make the same arguments against Soma himself. He wouldn't want to cheat his way to victory, hence he "gave" Erina Soma to make the "fight" fairer. Erina may not see it that way, but it's the intention that counts, no? As for the Shokugeki between the girls, that sounds like a funny idea, but more like a one-shot thing than something I could fit here… Who knows, maybe you could make something good with that premise!

**2. **TeddyHugs: Ah, school. The horrors… Anyway, thanks for the praise and I'm glad I could brighten up even a little bit more of your final day of summer bliss. Considering it's been over a month now that summer ended, I do hope you've had (and continue to have) a wonderful school year!

**3.** Rintaro55: Trope! I have yet to read Chapter 89, but once I do I'll be able to comment more about this. Next Chapter!


End file.
